Liquid crystal displays are required for having a wider viewing angle as well as a higher contrast ratio. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) of IPS (In-plane Switching: IPS) mode are mentioned as such a liquid crystal display. However, in such a liquid crystal display, when watching is carried out from an oblique angle through two polarizing plates configured on the front and rear surfaces of the liquid crystal display, respectively, and crossing at right angle to each other, the apparent absorption axes of two polarizing plates shift from the right angle. Such an apparent absorption axis shift leads to a trouble that optical leakage is caused at the time of black display so as to reduce the contrast of the display.
In order to cope with such a trouble, Patent Document 1 proposes a method based on simulation results, the method to improve viewing angle of IPS-LCD in a viewing direction by mounting a first compensation layer (positive C plate) having a positive uniaxially optical anisotropy, the optical axis extending in the perpendicular direction (the z direction) to a substrate surface, and a second compensation layer (positive A plate) having positive uniaxially optical anisotropy, the optical axis extending in the direction parallel to the substrate surface.
Patent Document 2 proposes a configuration comprising a stretched film, a layer (positive A plate) comprising a liquid crystal material and having an in-plane uniaxial property, and a homeotropic layer (positive C plate) comprising a liquid crystal material.
Furthermore, Patent Document 3 proposes a configuration comprising a positive A plate comprising a solidified or cured layer of a liquid crystal composition having a homogeneous alignment, and a positive C plate comprising a solidified or cured layer of a liquid crystal composition having a homeotropic alignment.
On the other hand, in IPS-LCD, from the viewpoint of being advantageous to the improvement of response speed, an attempt to give a pre-tilt angle to a liquid crystal material has been made. Non-patent document 1 has proposed by using a simulation that deterioration in viewing angle characteristics caused by the generated pre-tilt angle is improved by mounting being a first optical compensation layer, being a positive C plate, and a second optical compensation layer having a positive uniaxial optical anisotropy, and being tilt-aligned.
As such a combination of a positive C plate and a tilt alignment layer, it is possible, as is proposed in conventional technique, to use a liquid crystal film which is perpendicularly aligned by UV cure as a positive C plate, and a liquid crystal film, as a tilt alignment layer, being subjected to tilt alignment or bend alignment by the means of an electric field, a magnetic field, or an oriented film, followed by fixation of the alignment. Patent Document 4 discloses, as means to laminate a positive C plate and a tilt alignment layer to mount on an IPS-LCD panel, a method of filling an adhesive or glue in the gap between two optical elements so as to form a layer.    [Patent Document 1] JP Laid-open Patent Publication No. 11-133408    [Patent Document 2] JP Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-122715    [Patent Document 3] JP Patent No. 4592005    Patent Document 4] JP Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-70097    [Non Patent Document 1] Journal of Display Technology, Vol. 2, No. 3 (published in September 2006).